[35] Evan Nepean (1751–1822), created a Baronet in 1802. He was Secretary to the Admiralty from 1795 until 1804, when he became Secretary of State for Ireland.
[36] General Sir Charles Grey, K.B. (1729–1807), afterwards created Earl Grey. He was at this time in command of the Southern district in England.
[37] Peter, seventh Lord King (1776–1833), eldest son of Peter, sixth Lord King, and Charlotte, daughter of Edward Tredcroft, Esq., of Horsham. He succeeded his father in 1793, and married, in 1804, Lady Hester Fortescue, daughter of Hugh, first Earl Fortescue. His eldest son was created Earl of Lovelace in 1838. He made his maiden speech in the House of Lords on the above subject two months later, but seldom took part in the debates. He became, however, a recognised authority on questions of finance and currency.
[38] Joseph Hager, born at Milan in 1757. A German by birth, he was educated at Vienna, and after obtaining a thorough knowledge of European languages turned his attention to those of the East. He wrote several books on the Chinese tongue, by which he obtained celebrity, and was appointed Professor of Oriental Languages at Pavia in 1809. When this post was abolished, he became Keeper of the Milan Library. He died in 1818.
[39] At the opening of the session, on September 24.
[40] In a series of engagements centring round Zurich Masséna forced the Russian General Korsakoff to retreat to Constance, and inflicted on him great loss. The Annual Register puts the loss of the Allies, arrived at ‘by a most ingenious and accurate computation,’ from September 25 to October 9, at 15,000 men, and that of the French at 9000. Suvarroff, however, was not ‘totally defeated.’ On finding what had occurred, he decided to move his army straight across Switzerland, and after an adventurous march, complicated by continual fighting, effected a junction with Korsakoff early in October. Suvarroff retired to Russia shortly after this, and died in retirement.
[41] The castle of Aboukir had been stormed and captured on July 15 by the Turkish army under Mustapha Pasha. It fell again into the hands of the French on August 2, after eight days’ fighting.
[42] William Cusac Smith (1766–1836), eldest son of Sir Michael Smith, Bart., who died in 1808. He was called to the Irish Bar in 1788, and became a King’s Counsel seven years later. Though a follower of Burke, he sided with the Government, and was a strong supporter of their policy of the Union. He was appointed Solicitor-General in 1800, and a Baron of the Exchequer the following year.
[43] The position of the British and Russian troops in Holland had become so unsatisfactory and precarious owing to the inclemency of the weather and various other circumstances, that the Duke of York decided early in October to withdraw his advance posts and report the whole matter to the home Government. The enemy made one determined attack on the British during their retirement, but were repulsed with loss. On October 17 a truce was agreed to between the combatants, and it was arranged as a set-off to permission to the British to re-embark without molestation that 8000 of the Batavian and French seamen, prisoners in England, should be given up to the French.
[44] John Philpot Curran (1750–1817), the Irish lawyer and patriot. He was on most occasions distinguished for his wit and the brilliancy of his conversation.